ICE Ran License Plates in Phoenix Home Depot Parking Lot, Complaint

Immigration agents in Phoenix ran vehicle license plates from a Home Depot parking lot against an immigration database on Jan. 29, according to a criminal complaint that also records at least one arrest following a confrontation. The complaint is the first instance reporters tracking local cases said they had seen that specifically documents plate checks tied to an ICE operation in a store lot.

The affidavit names a person identified as Azamar as the driver who ran toward an officer during the Jan. 29 encounter. The complaint quotes someone shouting “Get off of my dad,” and states, “Azamar … wanted to protect his dad, so he ran up to where his dad was being detained by ICE and used his arms to shield his dad while at the same time moving the ICE officer away from him.” The complaint also says Azamar struck an officer in the face, that another officer joined the tussle, and that Azamar later ran and was caught in the parking lot of a nearby tire store. The document notes Azamar denied punching or pushing officers and told an FBI agent he had seen an ICE officer punch his father.

An ICE spokesperson declined to provide operational details, saying he could not release details about the agency’s operations, and did not answer whether the January action was part of a targeted campaign or how often agents operate in store parking lots, according to reporting from the case.

Home Depot spokespeople have reiterated corporate language that the company is not notified in advance of federal enforcement actions and said stores do not coordinate with ICE or Border Patrol. A Home Depot statement reads: “We aren’t notified that immigration enforcement activities are going to happen, and we aren’t involved in the operations. We aren't coordinating with ICE or Border Patrol. We cannot legally interfere with federal enforcement agencies, including preventing them from coming into our stores and parking lots.” Company policy language cited by outside reporting says Home Depot discloses information to “law enforcement, public and government authorities” that it considers “reasonably necessary to comply with law, support investigations, and protect the rights and property.”

Corporate surveillance practices are part of the debate. Reuters reporting has said Home Depot uses Flock Safety automated license-plate readers in store parking lots and that the company has told investors it does not grant federal agencies direct access to those readers. Independent reporting by another outlet cited by Reuters said ICE has used Flock Safety data in immigration investigations after local law enforcement shared it; a source told Reuters that Flock Safety does not have contracts with the Department of Homeland Security or ICE.

Community groups have staged protests outside the Home Depot near 36th Street and Thomas Road and marched to the ICE Phoenix Field Office. ABC15 quoted activist Salvador Reza: “They cannot be complicit. They have not denounced, not even one time, denounced ICE.” ABC15 also quoted a woman who identified herself as Patricia and said her husband, identified by the station as day laborer Fernando Molina Mendoza, was detained and is being held at an ICE facility in Florence, Arizona; Patricia said, “They just kidnapped him. And they took him away. That’s how I feel, they kidnapped him, and took him away. I didn’t know nothing of him for seven days.” Cronkite News covered a roughly 100-strong march and quoted organizer Andiola: “There was no statement from Home Depot. They said nothing, they have allowed ICE to continue to raid their stores and their parking lots, so we’re here asking people to join us.” Cronkite also noted Home Depot gave $2,028,000 through a PAC in 2024, with 58% to Republicans and U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani receiving $12,500.

Key questions remain unanswered: the criminal complaint records plate checks and an arrest, but the reporting available does not document which immigration database was queried, whether the license-plate data came from Home Depot’s Flock Safety cameras, ICE-operated readers, or local police feeds, nor whether the individuals named across different reports refer to the same incident. Journalists and advocates continue to seek the full criminal complaint, ICE incident logs, and any law-enforcement data-sharing records to establish how plate data was obtained and used.